One Fine Day
by damnmydooah
Summary: It's a Spring day and somebody has a wish. LL friendship.


One Fine Day

Disclaimer: They are mine. Please sue my ass off, because it's too big anyway.

Author's Note: Well, it's been months since I've written anything, so I'm particularly proud that I've managed to produce something. Even if it's just a little ditty like this. I'd like to dedicate this story to Kees (who'll never read it, but who cares), because he gave me four words and made me write this. And a great thanks to Kasey for beta'ing and being a great friend. Love ya, dude!

ONE FINE DAY

There was a note. Having been pushed under the door, it was lying on the ground, a tiny rectangle of paper, inconspicuous in its whiteness.

Luke eyed it warily, wondering if, if he picked it up, it would set into motion a sequence of situations he would later regret. He scratched his head (or rather, his hat), rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Trying to make a decision. He squinted at the note, wondering if he could pull a Henry Sugar and look right through the paper without having to touch it. He wondered if it was Kirk's, containing some embarassing message about Lulu and underwear and god knows what else. He wondered if it was Taylor's and if so if he should simply pack up and leave the diner for what it was because it might be poisoned.

In the end, though, he sighed and took three steps, bent over and picked it up. Opening it and reading the message, he immediately frowned to hide the smile that was playing around the corners of his mouth.

_Luke,_

_please bring cherry pie to the apple tree._

It was unsigned, but Luke could recognize the handwriting anywhere. He shook his head and wondered if he should at all be torn between ignoring the crazy lady's antics or obeying her like the good puppy she expected him to be. But he knew it didn't matter. Aside from the fact that he would dance naked save for a feather boa given the right incentive, he wasn't exactly hard to be convinced when it came to pleasing Lorelai.

He looked around the empty diner, checked the clock and decided that it was okay to close for half an hour or so. Walking behind the counter, he got a tinfoil pie dish and scooped the cherry pie that was sitting in its display case on the counter into it. He took two forks and put them in the breast pocket of his shirt and tucked some napkins in the pocket of his jeans.

It was really quite a nice day, Luke noticed as he made the short walk over to where Lorelai would be. Late spring, summer was just around the corner and the sun was shining exuberantly but not annoyingly hot and there was a light, enjoyable breeze. There was a sweet smell in the air, the birds were singing, grass was green, yada yada yada. Everything that would make Jess puke.

There were many apple trees in Stars Hollow, but Luke knew there was only one that Lorelai could mean. It was "her" tree. She had once told him a story of how, when Rory was still young, she would occasionally have Babette babysit and she would take the short walk over to a tiny patch of grass near the lake where stood an ancient apple tree which had the perfect padding of moss under it. She would lie down, looking up through the leaves and the branches to the sky and dream the most impossible things until she fell asleep. She had called it "the place to live alternate lives", simply because when she was there it didn't seem at all unfeasible that she would one day be a rockstar or a superhero.

He crossed the bridge and turned left, knowing the tree wasn't that far off. He'd never admit it to anyone, but whenever he had the chance to get outside on a day like this, he would sometimes stand still and take a deep breath through his nose, taking in all the smells a small town so close to nature had to offer. It would bring back memories of everything in his youth, from his father's store to the woodsy perfume his mother used to wear.

He rounded another bend in the path and finally spotted the old tree. He looked down at the roots and stood still for a moment, looking at the quiet figure that was lying on the ground.

It being a Saturday, she hadn't needed to wear any "official" clothes and she looked utterly relaxed in jeans and a top, bare feet resting on the cool moss she was lying on. She was, as she had told, indeed staring up at the sky, a hand in front of her face, fingers weaving invisible patterns in the air.

Luke tried to make as little sound as possible when he approached her and she didn't notice him until he loomed over her, creating a dark shadow across her face. She smiled broadly.

"You came."

He shrugged. "The diner was emtpy."

"You're a god."

"I thought I was an angel."

She sat up straight and patted the ground next to her. "Both. Either."

He sat down and crossed his legs, setting down the pie and taking the forks from his pocket. "At any rate, you're still a junkie."

"You wouldn't have it any other way, mister. Just remember that." Taking a fork from him, she proceeded to "cut" the pie into four pieces, finally digging in and bringing a big bite to her lips. Seeing him looking at her, she asked, "What?"

He wasn't quite sure "what". While he dealt with her on a daily basis and was convinced she was absolutely certifiable, he was suddenly seeing an extremely simplified version of her; calm, easygoing. Just... Lorelai.

Something was up. "How much coffee have you had this morning?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide. Aha, he thought. Caught. Lorelai shifted, looking down and to the left. "Six," she mumbled. Luke squinted his eyes at her. "You're lying," he accused.

"Fine, eight. Happy now?"

He tried to make eye contact with her, but she pretended to be focused on the pie. He shook his head. "No, that's not it. You're lying in the positive. You've had way less coffee than usual."

Her head snapped up, her mouth agape. "H- how dare you?" she sputtered. "I don't _do_ way less than usual. I need my gargantuan amount to be this perky. I've had a lot of coffee, just so you know."

He chuckled. "That's just it. You're not perky. You're calm."

"I am not." But she was smiling. He smiled back.

"Yes you are. You've had no more than three. I dare say two, even."

She made a last half-hearted attempt at exasperation and denial, but failed miserably. Smiling sheepishly, she confessed, "I had not even two. I threw out half of the second cup."

Now it was turn to look at her with an open mouth. "You threw out coffee? I don't believe it."

She shrugged. "Neither did I. I was just puttering around in my kitchen, you know, morning stuff, drinking coffee and staring out the window when, all of a sudden, I didn't feel the need for the coffee any more. So I poured it down the drain."

Luke shifted, leaning against the trunk of the tree and stretching his legs out in front of him. He tried leaning his head back but his cap was in the way. He took it off and put it on the ground next to him, running his hands through his hair. Lorelai still sat where she'd been the whole time, softly poking the pie with her fork.

"What brought this on?" he asked.

She put down the fork, another thing he was amazed at. She'd only had a couple of bites. Dusting her hands and letting them drift over the soft moss, she took a deep breath.

"I have an inkling," she said. She looked him straight in the eye and he was taken aback by the serious look in her eyes. "But you must promise not to be too shocked."

He promised, slightly worried at what she was going to reveal to him.

"I think... no, I'm actually pretty sure about this. I do believe that this is it."

"What?"

"Life. I believe I'm there. I think, Luke, I really do, that I'm finally happy. Completely. Unabashedly. Without leftover desires."

Luke stared at her. She chuckled and sent him a big smile. "Don't look so scared, Luke. This is good."

He struggled for words for a moment, but just when he had found them he looked at her again. She had returned to lying on her back, looking up at the sky. But this time it was apparent from the look on her face that she wasn't dreaming about being married to Brad Pitt or being President. She was just...

"Luke?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly understood that she meant it in a friendly way. Surprisingly enough, he didn't mind a bit. "I love you, too."

END

A/N: Nope, I've got nothing to say in closing.


End file.
